Body Systems
Concept

Functions and
Biochemical Therapies

by
Jay Constant PHD

This lesson is to provide a greater insight
into the human body as to its mechanics and chemistry. Any
so-called disease involves several systems simultaneously, thus
restoring efficiency to any system, benefits all systems. Notice
the basic nutritional requirements listed for each system, and if
a deficiency of a particular vitamin or mineral exists in one
system, it will exist in all systems. When a deficiency occurs,
the body system or part cannot perform its function properly, and
thus will produce a symptom in an attempt to correct itself.

In this lesson, I will cover the basic body
system of importance. It all begins in the stomach and the
digestive system. Many people I see have been led to believe their
problem is simply that they are old, and science seems to have us
getting old younger and younger all the time. It’s supposedly
around 40 years now. The digestive system includes the stomach,
the pancreas, the liver, the gall bladder, the small intestines,
and the saliva glands. These organs produce something called
enzymes, and enzymes are what break the food down to its chemical
state. All food has built in enzymes that cause it to decompose.
If you peel an apple or banana, you will see it turn brown almost
immediately. Right around the age of 21, the body is at peak
performance as far as enzyme production. Right around the age of
50, the body only produces half the enzymes it did at 21. At age
70, the body only produces about 25%, and at age 80, only around
20%. Without enzymes, the food we eat is not properly broken down,
and we cannot benefit from the food’s nutriment. In a nutshell,
old age is simply a digestive problem. This ensures we don’t live
forever and over populate the planet.

A basic understanding of many of these
enzymes is required to understand their importance. Keep in mind
it is the body itself that produces these enzymes, however
supplementation of enzymes is possible and probably good for
anyone over the age of 50. If we don’t digest our food properly,
we produce more waste, and more waste products are what many
people refer to as toxins. (I refer to it as goo). The
stomach requires hydrochloric acid to break all food down into
almost liquid form. From the stomach, the food goes into the
“factory”, the small intestines where enzymes such as pancreatin,
protease, lipase, pepsin, papain, bromelain, and bile break the
food down to its smallest component to be absorbed into the blood
stream and delivered to the rest of the body. Thus, if our
digestive system is running inefficiently, it will affect all body
systems. Thus, any and all attempts at natural healing always have
to begin with the stomach and digestive tract. If we can’t improve
digestion, numerous deficiencies will occur, producing numerous
symptoms. For example, the liver secretes a very rugged enzyme
called bile. The bile is responsible for breaking down fats
specifically. The liver is constantly producing this bile, and it
is transferred to a gland called the gall bladder. Here the bile
is stored until a meal is eaten, and is required to digest or
break down the fats in the meal. (Later, we will learn that type
ll diabetes can fundamentally be defined as the body’s inability
to break down fats and oils properly. This may be of special
interest to anyone without a gall bladder). Without enough bile,
the fats cannot be broken down, and simply end up someplace else.

Without a doubt, the most important mineral
for the stomach, the bowels, the joints, and the lymphatic system,
is “sodium”. Yes, “sodium”. I will often refer to the pathway of
disease, where a deficiency of a particular mineral or vitamin
will produce a symptom. If not corrected, deficiencies of the same
nutriment begin to produce symptoms in other systems. Let’s look
at the multiple roles of sodium in the body. This is an extremely
important lesson, because if we can’t get our stomach working, the
rest of our body begins to fall apart, and we end up with multiple
specialists for multiple diagnoses that require multiple
medications.

So, digestion is the key to building better
health, and sodium is the key mineral for the digestive tract.
However, before you run to the saltshaker and begin pouring it on
all your food, keep in mind that salt is a compound, NaCl, or
sodium chloride. The sodium I refer to is “food sodium”, or
naturally occurring sodium in food. Food sodium is crucial or very
serious ailments in the body will occur. The first place we find
sodium is in the walls of the stomach, where it is stored to
buffer hydrochloric acid. Without enough sodium in the stomach
walls, the hydrochloric acid would burn, resulting in heartburn or
worse, an ulcer. Medicine has many names and pills for this,
however none actually deal with this simple fact. Most medications
actually suppress the stomach from producing the hydrochloric
acid, which as mentioned earlier, is crucial for breaking down our
food and minerals, such as calcium. Without enough hydrochloric
acid, calcium is not useable, and when we look at calcium's true
role in the body, we’ll begin to see a bigger picture as to cause
and effect in the body based on deficiencies.

Sodium is first stored in the walls of the
stomach and secondly in the joints. Sodium is what gives us
elasticity, limberness, and youthfulness in our joints and
tissues. Sodium is necessary to normal chemical balance not only
in the walls of the stomach and joints, but also in the walls of
the intestine. It is necessary to the regulation of the fluid
content and to normal flora in the intestinal tract, and is
crucial for proper bowel evacuation. Sodium greatly affects the
fluid balance throughout the entire body. Thus, when I refer to a
pathway for disease, a basic example goes like this: A sodium
deficiency today creates stomach problems. If this deficiency is
not corrected, one can expect joint pains in 2 to 4 years,
followed by bowel complaints in 5 years, and major lymphatic
issues in 10 to 15 years. Another way to put this is doctor A, a
specialist, will prescribe Nexium for acid reflux this year, and
doctor B, another but different specialist, will prescribe
Celebrex for arthritis pain in a couple years, and doctor C, still
another specialist, will prescribe a harsh laxative for irritable
bowel in about 5 years, and doctor D, another specialist will
begin treating weakened immune system with still more medication
in about 10 years. All the while, the patient is under the
impression that the meds have cured all his complaints.

It is regrettable, therefore, that everyday
modern living habits impose such a drain on our sodium reserves.
We have electrical lighting that encourages much overwork,
television that demands close attention causing eye-strain and
mental strain, and computers that create even more concentration
and mental strain. Add a diet of processed devitalized food that
is acid producing and, therefore, require alkaline elements such
as sodium to neutralize the acids. The waste acids produced in the
body are irritating to the tissues. This interferes with the
alkaline balance. Amazingly, when this balance is disturbed, the
stomach wall cannot properly secrete hydrochloric acid and
digestion is greatly impaired; thus, the true burning in the
stomach is not a result of excess hydrochloric acid, rather the
result of food rotting in the gut from not enough.

In an attempt to maintain chemical balance,
if stomach sodium is overdrawn it will borrow it from the organ
or system with the next highest concentration of sodium which will
begin to suffer from a lack of sodium in the blood. Those
tissues whose sodium storing capacity is next highest to the
stomach are the joints. When sodium is withdrawn from the joints,
a serious imbalance is created, and calcium is left behind. Keep
in mind that calcium is a hardener, so the joints become hardened.
This makes the joint immobile. The joints become rigid unless
ample sodium is present to keep calcium in solution. Such
disorders such as neuritis, neuralgia, rheumatism, and arthritis
soon follow. In fact, any condition ending with “itis” refers to a
catarrhal condition, a discharge, and would greatly benefit from
sodium.

Many people make the mistake of trying to
neutralize excess acids and gas with baking soda. The sodium in
this compound is inorganic, and like salt, cannot be properly
used. Instead of relying on short-term alkalizers or medications,
we should turn to natural foods alkalizers such as those found in
vegetables, juices, and some grains. The food with the highest
sodium content is goat milk. Apples and apple cider vinegar are
also excellent choices. In the herbal kingdom, okra and dandelion
root are best. Black mission figs are tremendous. All tree-ripened
fruits are high in sodium, but non-tree ripened fruits are
extremely acidic.

Thus, to sum it all up, if I had digestive
problems, which can also be noticed by bad breath or gas, weight
gain, or burning in the stomach, I need sodium. If I don’t supply
this crucial mineral, then I can expect joint problems real soon,
bowel problems, and finally some immune type problems. All the
specialists and all the testing and names for my various
conditions will only lead to more medications which won’t fix the
problem. We should all strive to constantly replenish our sodium
reserves by consuming foods high in the mineral. We then will have
better digestion, assimilation, and elimination. The very things
we use to prevent the problems can also be used for their
correction, as they are simply caused by deficiencies.

Other minerals needed by the digestive
system include magnesium, potassium, iron, and copper. Vitamins
required are vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, Vitamin D, folic acid,
niacin, and pantothenic acid, most found in a simple B complex
vitamin. Today there are also many products called digestive
enzymes that contain ample amounts of enzymes to break down almost
anything we eat. The enzymes are taken before meals to help break
the food down. We have to digest our food to benefit from it. The
less we digest, the more waste we produce, and the greater the
deficiency of nutriment. I take enzymes with every meal, as well
as a particular product called goat whey to maintain my “youthful,
slim, and flexible” appearance. The majority of all diets fail
because none address the body’s ability to digest the food and
eliminate the waste. The less we digest, the more waste is left
behind.

In conclusion, the rule is digest it and
get rid of it. Old age is simply a digestive problem that is
relatively simple to correct.

Next time, the body system covered will be
elimination. All nutriment enters the body via the stomach, but
from there goes to the intestines for processing and finally
elimination. From the intestines, the blood picks up the nutriment
for delivery to the rest of the body.